PARIJAT-2

JOHN STRETCHED HIS BODY ON CEMENT BENCH. HE FELT ACHE ALL OVER HIS BODY. HE MOVED HIS FINGERS IN HIS HAIRS. IT IS ALL WET IN MORNING DEWDROPS. HE LOOKED TO THE PARIJAT TREE. IT LOOKS WET GREEN WITH DEW DROPS. CLUSTERS OF BUDS LOOKING UP IN ENTHUSIASM TO WELCOME TO THEIR DAY. FROM THE CORNER OF THE NEEM TREE, A CROW STARTED CALLING ONLY TO BE JOINED BY OTHERS IN SUCCESSION. LEAVES IN THE NEEM TREE ARE SLOWLY BECOMING VISIBLE. THE SKY IS BLUE, DEEP BLUE. SMALL PATCHES OF WHITE SCATTERED CLOUDS ARE LOOKING DOWN LIKE THE HURRIED WHITE STROKES FROM THE QUILL OF THAT ENIGMATIC YET BRILLIANT ARTIST WORKING ON A MASSIVE BLUE CANVAS. CROWS ARE MOVING AROUND WITH THAT CAW, CAW SOUND ALL WELCOMING AND GREETING THAT NEW MORNING. CROWS ARE MOVING IN A GROUP TOWARDS THAT TERRACE. THEY ARE CALLING EACH OTHER LOUDLY AS UP THERE IN THE TERRACE SOMEBODY HAS LEFT GRAINS FOR THEM.

JOHN LOOKED TOWARDS THE RIVER. THE OLD PRIEST OF THE NEAR BY HINDU TEMPLE IS COMING BACK AFTER TAKING BATH IN RIVER. HE WALKS BACK WITH THAT BRASS POT ON THE PALM OF LEFT HAND. BRASS POT FULL OF RIVER WATER. AS HE WALKS AND CHANTS VEDIC MANTRA, HE SPRINKLES WATER TO THE FRONT AND BACK ALTERNATIVELY. JOHN HAS SEEN THIS BEFORE MANY TIMES. HE HAS GONE TO THE TEMPLE MANY TIMES ALONG WITH HIS HINDU FRIENDS. ONE DAY, HE MUSTERED ENOUGH COURAGE TO ASK THE OLD PRIEST. GRAND PA, WHY DO YOU SPRINKLE WATER TO THE FRONT AND BACK WHILE YOU COME BACK FROM RIVER AFTER TAKING BATH? HE WAS ANTICIPATING THAT THE OLD PRIEST WILL TURN RED AND SHOUT OR HE MAY ANSWER VERY PHILOSOPHICALLY OR DOGMATICALLY. HE MAY QUOTE SOME RELIGIOUS SCRIPTURES. HOWEVER, NOTHING THAT SORT HAPPENED. THE OLD PRIEST SMILED A PLAIN SMILE. NONE OF HIS FACIAL MUSCLE QUIVERED. HE ANSWERED, SON, I CLEAN THE PATH THAT I HAVE TO WALK ON AND I CLEAN IT FOR OTHERS AFTER I WALKED ON.

PARIJATS HAVE FALLEN WITH THAT RED TUBE UPWARDS. THERE ARE DEW DROPS ON THE TUBE, WHICH PRESENTS A MAGNIFYING VIEW. THEY ALL ARE SMILING TOGETHER, SINGING TOGETHER IN A CHOIR IN WELCOME OF THAT NEW MORNING. LEAVES OF THE NEEM TREE ARE BECOMING DISTINCT. THE ENIGMATIC ARTIST IS BUSY IN THAT BLUE CANVAS. CLOUDS ARE TURNING CRIMSON BY HIS DEFT AND SWIFT TOUCH. CRIMSON RAYS ARE COMING THROUGH DARK GREEN NEEM LEAVES LIKE THE VERMILION ON NICELY COMBED HAIRS OF A NEWLY MARRIED NUBILE.

SOMEBODY IS KNOCKING ON THE MAIN DOOR. JOHN STEEPED INTO THE ROOM AND OPENED THE MAIN DOOR. LOCAL WORKERS HAVE COME FOR PACKING HIS BELONGINGS AND DO SOME ODD JOBS FOR HIM. JOHN GUIDED THEM TO A DISTANCE. UNDER THE NEEM TREE, THE CYCLE RICKSHAW IS STILL WAITING FOR WILLIUM, LUNATIC, UGLY AND ARROGANT WILLIUM, WHO HAS VANISHED IN THIN AIR. JOHN HELPED THE LABOURERS TO LIFT THAT RICKSHAW. IT WAS BROUGHT UNDER THE PARIJAT TREE. SUN HAS COME UP IN THE SKY. EARTH IS TURNING WARM. JOHN ASKED THE LABOURERS TO ERECT A LOW HEIGHT PARTITION ALL AROUND THE PARIJAT TREE AND CYCLE RICKSHAW. THE NEWLY APPOINTED BRIDGE MAINTENANCE ENGINEER HAS PROMISED JOHN TO TAKE CARE OF THE PARIJAT TREE, CEMENT FLOOR AND THAT CYCLE RICKSHAW. SOMEHOW, JOHN BELIEVES THAT HE WILL DO THE NEEDFUL.

LABOURERS ARE WORKING ON THE BARRICADE. JOHN CAME INSIDE. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR HIM. SO MUCH WORKS ARE THERE FOR HIM TO DO. HE WENT INSIDE THE BATHROOM, STOOD UNDER THE SHOWER AND OPENED THE TAP. SHOWER WAS NOT IN USE FOR MANY DAYS. WATER STARTED FALLING HAPHAZARDLY ON HIM. HIS EYES STARTED SCANNING THE BATHROOM. OVER THE VENTILATOR THE LADIES BLOUSE IS STILL HANGING. JOHN TRIED TO REMEMBER THOSE MOMENTS, THE ABERRATION OF HIS PROCLAIMED BACHELORHOOD. IT WAS OUT AND OUT PHYSICAL WITH THAT MUSCULAR FEMALE LABOURER. PURE HUNGER, PHYSICAL HUNGER. NO FEELING, NO LOVE. HOWEVER, IT WAS LUST. THEY HAVE NOT TALKED. THEY HAVE ONLY GRUNTED TOGETHER, PERSPIRED TOGETHER AND GRASPED FOR BREATHES TOGETHER OUT OF THAT FRICTIONAL PLEASURE. MIND HAS NEVER MET. FEELING HAS NEVER MET. THEY HAVE NOT SEEN EACH OTHER PROPERLY, BUT THEY HAVE DISCOVERED THAT PHYSICAL COMPATIBILITY IN THAT SENSUAL MOMENT WHEN EVERY LOGIC, EVERY RATIONALITY TAKE A BACK SEAT. IT IS CALL OF HUNGER, CARNAL HUNGER. JOHN HAS NEVER REALIZED THAT, NEVER TRIED TO RATIONALIZE THAT. WHY IT HAPPENS ? WHEN IT HAPPENS? DOES IT HAPPEN TO EVERYBODY? WHAT IS THAT RELATIONSHIP? HOW YOU DEFINE THAT? DOES EVERY BODY SUCCUMB TO CALL OF THAT HUNGER? DOES THE RATIONALIZATION, REALIZATION REALLY VANISH? MAY BE WE ARE TOO INTELLIGENT TO RATIONALIZE EVERYTHING AND INTERPRET SAME THING IN DIFFERENT MANNER IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND ALSO IN THE SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES.

WORKERS HAVE STARTED PACKING JOHN BELONGINGS. JOHN PULLED OUT THAT OLD BOX OF WILLIUM FROM THAT CUB WEBS. PULLED OUT THAT BLOUSE FROM VENTILATOR. ALONG WITH THE WILLIUM BOX, HE PACKED THAT BLOUSE IN A CARD BOARD BOX. HE DOES NOT KNOW WHY HE CARRIES THOSE THINGS, BUT THERE WAS AN INNER URGE INSISTING HIM TO CARRY THOSE. ---------------------------------------------------------------

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FAST FOR JOHN. THE BELONGINGS WILL GO FIRST. HE WILL CATCH THE EVENING BUS TO THE NEW CONSTRUCTION SITE.

HE LEFT THE HOUSE AND KEPT IT OPEN FOR WORKERS TO PACK THE BELONGINGS. CAME TO THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL. IN THE ENTRANCE OF THE SCHOOL, MADAM MULLER SAW HIM AND ALMOST SHOUTED IN EXCITEMENT. HEY JOHN WE HAVE ADDED JOHN IN YOUR CHILD NAME. NOW SHE IS CALLED AS MINI JOHN JACOB. THEN SHE STARTED CALLING IN HER TOP OF VOICE, MINI, HEY MINI, WHERE ARE YOU, LITTLE ONE. YOUR PAPA IS WAITING FOR YOU. FROM THE UPSTAIRS OF RESIDENTIAL HOSTEL, JOHN COULD SEE MINI IS COMING, NO, SHE IS RUNNING AND JUMPING, COVERING TWO STEPS OF STAIRCASE IN ONE GO. JOHN COULD SEE THE EXCITEMENT. HE HAS SEEN THE EXCITEMENTS EARLIER WHEN HE WAS COMING WITH JACOB. MINI JACOB, YES MINI JACOB, NOW MINI JOHN JACOB. THANKS JACOB WHEREVER YOU ARE! JACOB, YOU GREAT SOUL! MINI IS RUNNING, RUNNING FAST TOWARDS JOHN. NEXT MOMENT MINI HAS ALMOST JUMPED ON JOHN. IT WAS HUG. HUG WHEN SOULS MEET. WHO SAYS OFFSPRING RELATIONSHIPS ARE BY BIRTH? NO, IT IS MADE HERE, ON THIS EARTH, IT IS NOT BY BIRTH. THANKS JACOB. THANKS A LOT. THANKS FOR YOUR LOVELY GIFT.

JOHN SPENT CONSIDERABLE TIME WITH MINI. MINI KNEW JOHN IS GOING TO A NEW PLACE. THERE IS A PANG IN HER HEART REGARDING JOHN’S DEPARTURE. BUT SHE WAS AHEAD OF HER AGE BY REALIZING THE REALITY. IT IS SAD BUT TRUE. EVERYBODY HAS TO GO. SOME GO EARLY. SOME GO TO COME BACK. SOME GO FOREVER, NEVER EVER TO COME BACK. SHE HAS SEEN THAT, SEEN THAT FROM A CLOSE ANGLE, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE. DEPARTURE IS NOT NEW HER.---------------------------------. IT WAS A HUG ONCE AGAIN , JOHN COULD HEAR THE SOUND OF THUMPING HEART . EVERYTHING APPEARS TO HAVE STOPPED FOR A MOMENT. MINI LOOKED TO JOHN, AVOIDED THE DIRECT LOOK. SUDDENLY BITE THE EAR LOBE OF JOHN AS SHE USED TO DO TO JACOB. TURNED BACK, STARTED RUNNING TOWARDS HOSTEL AWAY FROM JOHN, WENT TO THE TERRACE OF HOSTEL AND SHOUTED PAPA, I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ONE THING, PAPA, I HAVE BEEN DECLARED AS THE BEST STUDENT OF THE CLASS. BELIEVE ME PAPA. SEE IN THE NOTICE BOARD. THEN SHE STARTED WAIVING TO JOHN FROM TERRACE WITH A SIGN OF DEPARTURE BUT WITH A HOPE AND WISH TO MEET SOON. JOHN SMILED AND RAISED HIS THUMB TO CONGRATULATE MINI. BUT THE THUMB WAS ALSO CONVEYING ASSURANCE OF COMING BACK AND MEETING SOON.

JOHN TOUCHED HIS EAR LOBE AS HE STARTED TO GO AWAY FROM SCHOOL. HE SMILED AND ALMOST BURST INTO THE LAUGHTER AS HE DISCOVERED THE SALIVA OF MINI IN HIS EAR LOBE. HE MUTTERED AS HE LAUGHED –YOU NAUGHTY. SUN IS ALSO LAUGHING OVERHEAD WITH ALL MAJESTY.